Covington unveils market-ready workforce housing in Eastside

The City of Covington and Neighborhood Investment Partners unveiled the finished versions of two workforce homes on Pleasant Street Tuesday morning.

Located in the city’s Eastside neighborhood, the homes represent the latest in the city’s attempts to address affordable housing shortages in Covington.

“We have to try to do our part,” said Mayor Ron Washington Tuesday. “Our part was envisioned to take these vacant lots and turn them over to nonprofit organizations … and even some of the vacant lots to developers to make somewhat of a profit because we want a city that welcomes all.”

Pleasant Street in the Eastside neighborhood has historically been the site of multiple city-owned properties. The new builds have been carried out by Neighborhood Investment Partners, a nonprofit arm of the city that has historically managed the city’s many properties.

The Covington Board of Commission OKed the demolition of three city-owned properties last year, and the two homes unveiled Tuesday are but the first phase in a three-phase process. The second phase will eventually see the addition of five more homes on the street, including a ranch, a duplex and two other homes similar to those unveiled Tuesday. The third phase will see the construction of between 12 and 16 townhomes.

Melissa Kelley, the president of the Eastside + neighborhood association, said that housing was a repeated point of interest at neighborhood meetings, and the neighborhood was pleased when the city agreed to work on bringing more housing to the neighborhood.

“Housing was probably our most important topic at these meetings,” Kelley said. “And the city’s decision to develop this block of Pleasant Street to address the housing crisis was so exciting to us.”

Understanding NKY’s housing shortage

Our region, according to a housing strategies report released in 2025, lacks sufficient housing for young adults forming their first household; for essential workers like nurses, teachers and first responders; and for older adults. A teacher with a median annual income of $43,740, for example, can afford only 26% of the rental and 16% of the for-sale housing in the region, according to the report. For a restaurant server, only 1% of the region’s rental housing is affordable. 

An older person relying on Social Security can also afford only 1% of rental housing in the region, according to the report. 

The report, called Home for All: Northern Kentucky Housing Strategies, came to be thanks to more than 90 leaders and experts from across NKY who spent hours studying the region and its urgent housing challenge. Their goal was to close the housing gap across income levels and provide a place for everyone. 

Click here to learn more about the shortage and how NKY leaders and community members are stepping in to find solutions.

The new homes, both of which have three bedrooms and three bathrooms and span about 1,560 square feet, will be restricted to buyers who make a maximum of $87,900 per year for a family of four, according to HUD. The homes were built off-site by Ohio-based company Unibilt and then transported to their foundations on Pleasant Street, where they were permanently installed. The houses were delivered in August.

“The real work of Eastside + in this Pleasant Street development will begin when people, families move into these homes,” Kelley said. “It will then be on us to make them feel welcome in the community.”

Covington’s Executive Director of Community Development, Brandon Holmes, said the houses would be marketed for $255,000, “no negotiation.” But the buyers will likely be able to access low-interest, forgivable loans of up to $25,000 from the Northern Kentucky HOME Consortium to help cover down payment and closing costs. The city also manages that program. Finally, Holmes said that Neighborhood Investment Partners would aid people with real estate agent services if they don’t have their own agent.

“They should hit the market tomorrow,” Holmes said. “I anticipate to have a contract with them before the end of the month.”

Check out some photos of the interiors of the houses below.